The Dallas Cowboys have executed a financial maneuver to improve roster flexibility while retaining one of their most valuable defensive pieces. By adjusting the structure of a long-term deal, the front office has created critical cap space for 2025.
Balancing contracts and roster construction is always a challenge, especially in the wake of high-profile departures. With defensive depth under the microscope, the Cowboys opted for a move that secures stability in the secondary while also opening the door for reinforcements elsewhere.
That player is Trevon Diggs, the Pro Bowl cornerback signed to a five-year, $97 million extension in 2023. His 2025 cap hit stood at $14.1 million, including $9.6 million in base salary. By converting around $8 million of that salary into a signing bonus and spreading the charge across the deal’s final two years, Dallas frees up about $6 million in immediate cap space.
The restructure doesn’t come without risk — it pushes the potential dead cap hit in 2026 to $25 million — but the Cowboys view the trade-off as worthwhile. Diggs has established himself as a true lockdown presence with 18 career interceptions, and with veteran Jourdan Lewis no longer on the roster, his role as the anchor of the secondary is more important than ever.
The additional space could prove critical. Dallas is expected to explore adding an edge rusher, with names like Trey Hendrickson linked to the market, in hopes of offsetting the loss of Micah Parsons earlier this offseason.
Diggs’s willingness to restructure highlights his standing as a franchise cornerstone. Fan voices on social media, including NFL analyst @rjochoa, have repeatedly called him the “pillar of the secondary” — a sentiment the organization clearly echoes.
For Dallas, the move underscores a dual strategy: secure stars already in place while maintaining cap flexibility to add impact talent. For Diggs, it’s a reaffirmation of his long-term place at the center of the Cowboys’ defensive identity.
As the Cowboys prepare to open the season, they do so with one of the NFL’s premier corners locked in — and with just enough cap breathing room to stay aggressive in building around him.
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